I watched the DVD of the film "Save Me" this weekend. I thought I knew what it was about. I thought it would be decent, basically the quality of a really good TV movie, earnest, sincere, and probably badly written and not very well-acted.
You know, an independent film.
So I'd set the bar fairly low. But "Save Me" sailed over it with a few feet to spare, thanks to a terrific screenplay by Robert Desiderio, some lovely cinematography, and a performance by Judith Light that took my breath away.
Some of what I knew about the film was true. "Save Me, " directed by Robert Cary, is the story of Mark (Chad Allen), a young gay man who bottoms out on drugs and ends up in a Christian ex-gay ministry, courtesy of his brother, who foots the bill. Apparently you really can't pray away the gay, because as soon as he's clean, sober, and getting his life together, what does he do? He realizes that what really matters in life is love, and the person he loves is fellow-ex-gay-wannabe Scott (Robert Gant).
Beyond that, though, I really had no idea. Any film that can make me feel empathy and compassion for the people running an ex-gay ministry should get nominated for a freaking Oscar. Light, who plays Gayle, the woman who founded the ministry after her gay teenaged son died of a drug overdose, and Stephen Lang, who plays her husband, Ted, bring such depth and human feeling... such a compelling sense of love and need... to their roles, that you simply can't hate or demonize them.
This was an unexpectedly fine film with some moments of brilliance, mostly courtesy of Light, and a lot of compassion at its heart. Rent it or something, ok?
Ok.
Posted by: Leanne | 01 April 2009 at 06:16 PM
LOL, wow, you're easy. ;)
Posted by: Christie | 01 April 2009 at 06:19 PM
Hey, you made a very compelling argument!
Posted by: Leanne | 02 April 2009 at 03:42 AM